21 Days of Prayer/Journaling - Day 10 - "Wisdom"

Wisdom is the knowledge of what is true or right coupled with just judgement as to action.

Having the knowledge of what is true or right isn't enough. Wisdom requires action. I know it is wise to limit my intake of fried foods. However, that knowledge means nothing if I go to a daily buffet of fried chicken, french fries, fried okra, and fried Twinkies. We have been told over and over about the horrible things that happen as a result of smoking cigarettes. However, over 45 million people in America smoke. They aren't wise because they know it's bad for them. It is the people who take that knowledge and couple it with an action.

I have made some very unwise decisions in my life. There are many that I won't even talk about. However, there is one area of my life that I am okay with admitting my failure on a public forum. Fortunately, God has provided me with a little bit of wisdom in this areas of my life so I don't continue down a destructive path.

I was really bad with finances for a very long time. My lowest point happened about 8 years ago. I had a payday loan I couldn't pay back, every credit card I owned was over the limit, and I owed the bank over $600 in overdraft fees. I couldn't sleep at night because of the stress I was under. I had to lie to everyone around me. I didn't want them to know that I was broke, so I spent money that I didn't have to keep up an appearance that everything was okay. One night I was up all night long stressing about how I would pay the bills I had coming up. It was about 4:00am when I decided to call my mother who happened to be one of the VP's of the Private Wealth Management division of a local bank. I was so ashamed, but didn't know where else to turn. It took several years for me to fix the problems I had created. And although I was getting back on my feet, I still didn't have wisdom about my finances. I would still mess up on my bank register and it would cause me to overdraw my account. It may have been a simple mistake, but it gave me the same sinking feeling as when I was at my lowest. I have prayed for wisdom with my finances many times and I continue to ask God to give me wisdom with my money. I am not perfect and I know I don't always make the right choices. However, my credit score is in the 700's and my husband and I have been able to finance a wonderful home. We have money in the bank and I feel that God provides our every need and even many of our wants.

James 1:5 says, "If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you." 


I am so glad that God always delivers on His promises. I am so glad that He gave me the wisdom to handle my finances responsibly. There are other areas of my life that God has straightened out, as well. I can't imagine the empty life I would have if I was left to my own devises.

"Thank you, God, for giving me wisdom in the areas that I have asked. Please continue to give me wisdom. I know that I will need it as situations arise that I have never dealt with before. Don't let me do it on my own. As you know, I am a notorious failure when I don't have you by my side! Thank you for forgiving my failures and for loving me no matter how foolish I can be!"